Men have been urged to accompany their wives on HIV couple tests and not to shun them during delivery at health centres.
Many women are reportedly affected by HIV with recent statistics for Soroti district from Mr Amodoi Martin, the HIV focal person for the district, suggesting that approximately 20,000 women have tested HIV positive.
But Mr Martin said there was no official data on how many men have tested because of low attendance.
He described men as “dodging and avoiding tests”, adding that he encourages all men to go for voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) since testing machines are available at health centres all over the country free of charge.
However, a 2010 United Nations (UNAIDS) report finds that, for every person who starts treatment of HIV, another is infected.
In Uganda, UNAIDS say that the availability of ARV drugs has led to a return to risky behaviour by many people.
They engage in regular unprotected sex, which is known as ‘live sex’, despite the risk of HIV transmission.
Few people are using condoms as a preventive measure.
UNAIDS finds that many people engage in unprotected sex including married couples, who mistakenly perceive themselves to be at a lower risk of getting HIV.
According to the country director UNAIDS, Dr. Musa Bugundu, Uganda needs to invest more of its resources in managing HIV.
“We need to contribute to HIV but not continue depending on outside resources. What happens if they suddenly stop?” he asked.
Dr. Bugundu suggested that the government of Uganda, through the Ministry of Health, should start contributing more money for tackling HIV as it is their responsibility to protect and help the Ugandan people.
He suggested that the number of workshops, conferences, and seminars on HIV, which officials attend, should be reduced in order to fight HIV.
Bugundu also said that there is need for better promotion of sexual behaviour change and male circumcision.
He added that the Ugandan government must invest in a massive voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) program, plus prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) and scientific interventions, particularly HIV vaccine research.
The official added that, after 30 years, no vaccine for HIV has been found and the search remains difficult, which requires increased responsibility to this cause.
Dr. Kihumuro Abuuli, director general of Uganda Aids Commission (UAC), urged people to change their sexual behaviour in order to avoid catching or spreading HIV.
He added that: “The only current ‘vaccine’ lives within yourself: to change your sexual behaviour; is the only thing that will set you free”.
“Keeping more people on antiretroviral (ARVs) drugs will be more costly if new infections keep rising,” he added.
Donor countries were finding difficulties in keeping 80% of infected patients alive on ARVs treatment under the treatment guidelines, which were receiving treatment under the Ugandan AIDS Commission.
According to UNAIDS some 22 billion dollars is needed globally between now and 2015 to fight HIV alone .Yet only six billion is available, which is not enough.
UNAIDS executive director Michael Sidibe says ART does not only stop people from dying but also prevents HIV transmission.
He said the rate of HIV infection globally has declined but the total numbers of infections remain high at around 7000 per day and the number of people living with HIV is still on the increase.
He added that the reason being is the increase in the number of people living with HIV surviving longer because of availability of drugs (ARV treatment).
The AIDS Support Organisation and AIDS Control Programme of the Ministry of Health say that in Uganda HIV cases are again on the rise especially in married couples.
Although 30 years of HIV has been marked in each district together with World Aids day (WAD) across Uganda, the number of people infected is on the rise despite the efforts it made before in the fight to reduce it by 5%.
At the end of 2010, some nine million people were eligible for ARV treatment globally but there is a gap in access to treatment for children, a lower proportion of who are able to access drugs than adults. Only 28% of children were receiving ARVs in 2009 compared to 36% coverage for people of all ages.
The latest report from the AIDS Control Programme in Kampala Uganda is that the new infection rate has fallen globally by 25%:
SEE HIV FACT FILE BELOW:
HIV FACT FILE IN UGANDA
• HIV POSITIVE PEOPLE -1.2 MILLION,
• HIV PREVALENCE - 6.5%
• NUMBER OF DEATHS - 1 MILLION
• ANIMAL DEATHS - 60,000
• ELIGIABLE FOR ARVS - 540,094,
• ANNUAL HIV INFECTIONS – 130,000 PEOPLE
• MOTHER TO CHILD TRANSMISSION PMCT- 30,000 ANNUALLY
• CHILDREN ORPHANED BY HIV – 1.2 MILLION
• GLOBAL FIGURES OF HIV POSITIVE – 341,000,000 MILLION
• GLOBAL FIGURES OF DEATH IN 30 YEARS OR (GLOBAL DEATHS) 30
MILLION
• GLOBAL DAILY INFECTION - 7,000 PEOPLE
